Pull and spray station for centrifugal casting machine



1958 R. w. TACCONE 3,397,735

PULL AND SPRAY STATION FOR CENTRIFUGAL CASTING MACHINE Filed Oct. 23, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet l RUSSELL I TACCONE Aug. 20, 1968 R. w. TACCONE PULL AND SPRAY STATION FOR CENTRIFUGAL CASTING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 23, 1965 INVENTOR. 905.5541. M fACCU/V' United States Patent 3,397,735 PULL AND SPRAY STATION FOR CEN- TRIFUGAL CASTING MACHINE Russell W. Taccone, Erie, Pa., assiguor to Shahmoon Industries, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 503,942 9 Claims. (Cl. 164-267) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A pull and spray station is provided for a centrifugal casting machine having a spin mold for the manufacture of pipe. The station has a pipe puller head at one end of the mold, a mold spray lance at the other end of the mold, a motive means to move the puller head, and a motive means to move the lance. Each motive means comprises an axially movable hydraulic cylinder and guide tube longitudinally slotted to receive an upright fin plate secured to its cylinder and on which a puller head or lance is mounted for connection to its respective cylinder.

This invention relates to pull and spray mechanism for casting machines, and more particularly centrifugal casting machines for the casting of pipe.

The general object of the present invention is to improve centrifugal casting machines, and more especially machines for the casting of soil pipe. In usual practice a core is set in one end of the mold, the mold is spun, the molten metal is poured, the mold and resulting cast pipe are cooled, the solidfied pipe is pulled from the mold, and the inside of the mold is sprayed with a suitable protective coating. Main objects of the invention are to provide an improved pull station, and also an improved spray station, for such centrifugal casting machines.

A more specific object is to provide pull and spray stations for use in a machine of the type disclosed in my companion application Ser. No. 502,917, filed on even date herewith, and entitled Centrifugal Casting Machine. The said machine is a double machine, that is, a pair of collateral molds are simultaneously spun and poured, and in accordance wtih a further feature and object of the present invention, individual motive means are provided for pulling pipe from the molds, thereby increasing the pull available, and compensating for the fact that a pipe in one mold may stick more than in the other, with a consequent difference in extraction time. This difliculty does not arise with the spray lances, and accordingly the two lances may be simultaneously moved by a single motive means.

Further objects of the present invention are to provide an improved motive means, and also an improved disposition and mounting of the aforesaid three such motive means for the two molds.

To accomplish the foregoing general objects, and other more specific objects which will hereinafter appear, my invention resides in the pull and spray station elements and their relation one to another, as are hereinafter more particularlydescribed in the following specification. The specification is accompanied by drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a centrifugal casting machine embodying features of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevation thereof;

FIG. 3 is an end elevation looking toward the left end of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section through one of the motive means;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary partially sectioned elevation showing a pulling head;

FIG. 6 is a horizontal section taken on the line 66 of FIG. 5;

3,397,735 Patented Aug. 20, 1968 ice FIG. 7 is a vertical section taken on the line 7-7 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is an elevation of a lance guide;

FIG. 9 is a section taken on the line 9-9 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 shows the nozzle end of a lance;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary elevation showing the mounting of the spray lances; and

FIG. 12 is a vertical section taken on the line 1212 of FIG. 11.

Referring to the drawing and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, the machine of my aforesaid patent application Ser. No. 502,917 comprises a shuttle track generally designated 12, with two shuttle cars 14 and 16 thereon. There is a core setting station 18, which is schematically indicated in FIG. 1, but omitted in FIG. 2, this if automatic being located at one side of the track 12 midway between the ends. A pour station generally designated 20 is located at the other side of the track 12 at a point opposite the core setting station. There are two pulling stations generally designated 22, 24 on one side of the track 12, one near each end, and two spray stations generally designated 26, 28 on the other side of the track 12 at points opposite the pulling stations 22 and 24, respectively. Each shuttle car has a pipe mold resting on spin wheels 32 and 34. In practice the operation preferably is doubled and another spin wheel 36 is provided, receiving a second mold which is collateral to the mold 30 and which rests on the spin wheels 32 and 36. In such case the core setting station 18, the pour station 20, the pull stations 22 and 24 and the spray stations 26 and 28, are all double stations for simultaneous operation on the double molds 30 and 40 on the shuttle car.

The spin wheels 34 and 36 may be idle while the spin wheel 32 is driven, in this case by means of a motor 42 (FIG. 2) and multiple V-belt drive 44. The motor may be energized through a flexible cable (not shown) which accommodates the shuttle movement of the car. As usual, and as shown in FIG. 1, the molds rest on two axially spaced sets of spin wheels, the additional wheels being indicated in FIG. 1 at 33, 35, 37, the wheel 33 being mounted on the same shaft as and being driven in unison with the wheel 32, and the wheels 35 and 37 being idlers.

It will be understood that car 14 is similar to car 16, and has motor driven spin and idler wheels carrying a pair of molds as described for car 16. As here illustrated the cars are moved independently by means of cylinders 15 and 17. The cars and shuttle track are shown and described in greater detail in my aforesaid copending appli cation Ser. No. 502,917. The finished pipe is rolled away on inclined tracks indicated at 46 and 48.

The pour station 20 is shown in the background in FIG. 3, as well as in FIG. 1, and comprises boots 50 which are tiltable between the down position shown in FIG. 3, and a raised or pouring position in which the lower end of the boot enters the spigot end of the mold. The station also comprises ladles 52 which are pivotally mounted and may be turned from the horizontal position shown to a tilted position which discharges molten metal into the boots and thence into the spigot end of each mold. This mechanism is not described in detail because it forms a part of my companion application Ser. No. 502,918, filed on even date herewith, now Patent No. 3,358,887, and entitled Pouring Mechanism for Centrifugal Casting Machine. The ladles 52 act as measuring ladles for the desired quantity of molten metal. For this purpose the metal is measured by weight and an alarm is sounded when the ladle (then in horizontal position) has received from a holding ladle 54 (FIG. 1) the predetermined weight of metal.

The molds are cooled by water spray, and FIG. 2

3 shows spray pipes 56 supplied at 5-7 and carried by a steam hood 58. These are omitted in FIG. 1 in order to show the car 16. The cars too may have cooling water pipes (not shown) below the molds, and supplied through flexible hoses which accommodate the shuttle movement of the car.

Referring to FIG. 3, a cooled cast pipe in mold 40 is extracted by means of a puller head generally designated 60, said head being moved horizontally by a motive means generally designated 62. As the pipe is pulled from the mold toward the right it is received on support means 64, which then lower it to the inclined rails 46 previously referred to. The horizontal movement of the pipe may be limited by appropriate stop means 66.

The mold spray station 26 is on the other side of the track directly opposite the pull station, and it comprises a hollow tubular lance 70 which, like the pull head 60, is located axially of the mold 40 when the car 14 is at the pull-spray station. The forward end of lance 70 has a spray head for spraying a suitable liquid for lining the mold. This liquid may be supplied through the tubular lance by means of a flexible hose connected at the rear end of the lance. The lance is moved axially through the mold by motive means generally designated 72. The lance may be additionally supported and guided by a pair of rollers located at 74.

A preferred form of motive means for use at 62 or 72 may be described with reference to FIG. 4 of the drawing. It comprises an axially movable hydraulic cylinder 80, and a stationary piston 82 therein, with hollow piston rods 84 and 86 extending from the piston 82 in opposite directions through the ends 88 and 90 of the cylinder. There are fixed hydraulic pipe connections to the ends of the piston rods, as by means of adapters shown at 92 and 94, and because the piston and rods are stationary it is not necessary to use flexible hose. The rod 84 has ports or openings 96 adjacent the piston 82 for flow of hydraulic fiuid on its side of the piston, and the other rod 86 has ports 98 adjacent the piston 82 for flow of hydraulic fluid on its side of the piston. Either a puller head or a lance may be mounted on cylinder 80 for movement with the cylinder.

In preferred form there is a long stationary guide tube 100 which is fixedly mounted around the movable cylinder 80 and the stationary piston rods 84 and 86. The latter pass through the ends 102 and 104 of the tube 100, but there is no relative movement. The bottom of the tube is longitudinally slotted as indicated at 106 to slidably receive a fin plate 108 which is secured to cylinder 80, and the pull head or the lance is mounted on and is carried by the fin plate 108. The ends of the cylinder 80 preferably carry bearing rings 110 which slide inside the guide tube 100. The latter acts as a protective housing, as well as a guide. The guide tube is preferably steel and the bearing 110 is preferably bronze. It could also be cast iron. It is to be a material softer than the guide tube, and replaceable, so as to take the wear. The bearing rings are widely spaced, for good stability of the travelling cylinder.

Reverting to FIG. 3, the pull and spray stations include an elevated frame which fixedly mounts the guide tubes 62 and 72 in -a position parallel to and higher than the pipe molds. As here illustrated the frame comprises upright columns 112 and 113 carrying horizontal beams 114. They also carry transverse horizontal beams shown in FIG. 1 at 220, 222, 224 and 226. There are additional intermediate cross bars at 228, 230 and 232 to more rigidly support the long guide tubes 62, 62' and 72.

The pull mechanism may be described in greater detail with reference to FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 of the drawing. There is an expansion shoe 120 which is tiltably mounted at the end of a support arm 122. As here shown it is a double arm, astride the shoe 120. A link 124 generally collateral to the support arm 122 has a clevis end which is connected to the shoe 120 to tilt the same. An actuator 126,

which may be an air cylinder supplied through a flexible hose (not shown), is connected to the link 124 to cause the shoe to grip or to release the pipe 128. It will be understood that the core at the enlarged or hell end 132 of the pipe is a destructible sand core which is readily broken through, as suggested at 131, by the puller head when the latter is moved into the end of the mold 40.

The mechanism so far described is carried by horizontal and vertical plates 132 and 134 secured to a top plate 136 which is mounted by means of bolts 138 on a plate 140 forming the lower end of a bracket which is secured to the fin plate 108 previously mentioned. The bottom plate 132 acts also to limit downward movement of arms 122. The fin plate 108 depends from the movable cylinder 80, and passes through the bottom slot in the guide tube 100. The bracket as here constructed comprises a pair of spaced uprights 142, and a shorter pair of spaced uprights 144. Their lower ends straddle and are secured to a diagonal strut 146. Their upper ends straddle and are bolted to the fin plate 108.

The precise alignment of the pipe puller may be adjusted by means of nuts 148 on screws the upper ends of which are welded to the lower edge of the fin plate 108, and the lower ends of which pass through ears 152 welded to the uprights 142 and 144. To accommodate this adjustment the bolts 154 pass through slots rather than round holes, and after the desired position has been established by adjusting the nuts 148, the clamp bolts 154 may be tightened to maintain the desired adjustment.

The shoe 120 (FIG. 5) may be dimensioned to grip the enlarged bell 132 of the pipe, instead of the body 128 of the pipe as shown in the drawing. This has the advantage of more completely breaking up the sand core 130.

The nozzle end of a typical lance is shown in FIG. 10 of the drawing. The forward end 202 of the lance is closed by a removable nozzle 204 having discharge holes 206. The lance is longer than the pipe, and the latter may be say ten feet long. The lance may be lightened by making its forward portion of less diameter than its rear portion, this being indicated in FIG. 8 by the change from part 208 to part 202.

The mounting of the lances may be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12 of the drawing. Many of the parts shown correspond closely to parts already described for the puller, but are shown reversed or in mirror image because the lance is moved from left to right as viewed in FIG. 3, instead of from right to left as is the case with the puller head. Like numerals are employed for such like parts, the fin plate 108 being secured to the bottom of a cylinder 80 (FIG. 12) which slides in a guide tube 100, the fin plate passing downward through and sliding along a bottom slot in the guide tube. The fin plate carries spaced uprights 142 (FIG. 11), and shorter spaced uprights 144, joined by a diagonal strut 146 located therebetween. This bracket assembly terminates in a bracket plate 140 the height of which may be adjusted by means of nuts 148 on screws 150 secured to the lower edge of fin plate 108, and passing through ears 152 welded to the uprights 142 and 144. As before, the mounting bolts 154 pass through slots to accommodate the adjustment, which, more broadly, is an adjustment of the alignment of the lance.

Two lances are moved by a single cylinder, and as seen in FIG, 12, lances 70 and 70 are secured to a plate by means of U bolts 162. The lances are spaced at the spacing of the two pipe molds (30 and 40 in FIG. 1). Plate 160 is secured to uprights 164, which in turn are carried by a top plate 166 which mates with and is bolted to the bottom plate 140 of the bracket by means of bolts 138, as previously described for the puller head.

The lance may be supplied under pressure through a flexible hose indicated at 212 in FIG. 2, and connected by a suitable coupling indicated at 214 in FIG. 11. The liquid may be a suspension of silica flour and bentonite in water, or it may be some other suitable liquid for protectively lining the mold. The mold is spun at this time, as well as during pouring of metal, and is stationary during pulling and during core setting.

Because of its length it may be desired to steady the free end of the lance as it moves into the mold, and for this purpose resiliently carried guide rollers may be provided, as illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9 of the drawing. Upper and lower rollers 170 and 172 are rotatably carried on arms 174 which are pivoted at 176 on fixed bearings 178 carried on an I beam or other cross member which is secured to the main frame as indicated at 180 in FIG. 3. The arms 174 (FIG. 8) are urged counterclockwise by pull strings 182, thus holding the rollers 170 and 172 against the lance, and accommodating any change in diameter of the lance along its length, as it rides between the rollers.

Reverting now to FIG. 4 of the drawing, the fin plate 108 preferably is mounted at the rear or outer end of its cylinder 80. The cylinder has a long stroke because of the length of the pipe being handled. Soil pipe may have a standard length of say five feet in one case, and ten feet in another case. In consequence the guide tube 100 is quite long, for it must accommodate the cylinder 80 in its forward as well as its rearward postion.

Accordingly, and by reverting to FIG. 1, it will be seen that the inner end of guide tube 62 overlies the track 12 and car 14, and similarly the inner end of guide tube 72 overlies the track 12 and car 14. Each puller head has its own cylinder, as is indicated by the guide tube 62 disposed collaterally of but spaced from the guide tube 62. The arrangement is compact because the inner ends of the two puller tubes 62, 62' may be located astride the inner end of the single lance tube 72. For reasons previously explained it is anyway desirable that the pull cylinders be independent, whereas the spray lances may be moved in unison. These factors all combine advantageously in the present arrangement.

In FIG. 1 the automatic core setter 18 is shown opposite the pouring station 20, but as explained in my aforesaid patent application Ser. No. 502,917, if core setting is to be performed manually it may be performed at the pulling station, where more cycle time is available.

It is believed that the construction and operation of my improved pull and spray stations, as well as the advantages thereof as here combined, will be apparent from the aforegoing detailed description. It will also be apparent that while I have shown and described the invention in a preferred form, changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention, as sought to be defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A pull station for a centrifugal casting machine for the manufacture of pipe, said station having a pipe puller head, and motive means to move the same, said means comprising an axially movable hydraulic cylinder longer than the pipe being cast, a stationary piston therein, hollow piston rods extending from said piston in opposite directions through the ends of said cylinder, a long guide tube having a length about double that of the cylinder fixedly mounted around the movable cylinder and the stationary piston rods, the bottom of said guide tube being longitudinally slotted and receiving an upright fin plate which is secured to the cylinder and on which the puller head is mounted for movement with the cylinder, the ends of said cylinder having bearing means which slide on the inside of the guide tube, an elevated frame fixedly mounting the ends of said guide tube and said rods at an elevation higher than the mold, and in a position parallel to the mold, and fixed hydraulic pipe connections to the ends of said rods, one rod having openings adjacent the piston for flow of hydraulic fluid on its side of the piston, and the other rod having openings adjacent the piston for flow of hydraulic fluid on its side of the piston, said guide tube having a thick wall for rigidity and serving also to protectively enclose the rods and cylinder.

2. A spray station for a centrifugal casting machine for the manufacture of pipe, said station having a mold spray lance longer than the pipe being cast, and motive means to move the same, said means comprising an axial- 1y movable hydraulic cylinder longer than the pipe being cast, a stationary piston therein, hollow piston rods extending from said piston in opposite directions through the ends of said cylinder, at long guide tube having a length about double that of the cylinder fixedly mounted around the movable cylinder and the stationary piston rods, the bottom of said guide tube being longitudinally slotted and receiving an upright fin plase which is secured to the cylinder and on which the rear end of the lance is mounted for movement with the cylinder, the ends of said cylinder having bearing means which slide on the inside of the guide tube, an elevated frame fixedly mounting the ends of said guide tube and said rods at an elevation higher than the mold, and in a position parallel to the mold, fixed hydraulic pipe connections to the ends of said rods, one rod having openings adjacent the piston for flow of hydraulic fluid on its side of the piston, and the other rod having openings adjacent the piston for flow of hydraulic fluid on its side of the piston, said guide tube having a thick wall for rigidity and serving also to protectively enclose the rods and the cylinder.

3. A pull and spray station for a centrifugal casting machine having a mold for the manufacture of pipe, said station having a pipe puller head at one end of the mold, and a mold spray lance at the other end of the mold, a motive means to move the puller head, a motive means to move the lance, each of said motive means comprising an axially movable hydraulic cylinder longer than the pipe being cast, a stationary piston therein, hollow piston rods extending from said piston in opposite directions through the ends of the cylinder, fixed hydraulic pipe connections at the ends of the piston rods, one rod having openings adjacent the piston for flow of hydraulic fluid on its side of the piston, the other rod having openings adjacent the piston for flow of hydraulic fluid on its side of the piston, and a long guide tube having a length about double that of the cylinder fixedly mounted around the movable cylinder and stationary piston rods, the bottom of the guide tube being longitudinally slotted and receiving an upright fin plate which is secured to its cylinder, said puller head being mounted on one fin plate and said lane being mounted on the other fin plate for connection of each to its respective cylinder, the ends of said cylinders having bearing means which slide on the inside of the guide tube, and an elevated frame fixedly mounting the guide tubes and rods in a position parallel to and at an elevation higher than the pipe mold, said guide tubes having a thick wall for rigidity and serving also to protectively enclose the rods and cylinders.

4. A pull and spray station as defined in claim 3, for use with a casting machine having two parallel pipe molds disposed side by side, in which said station comprises two collateral pipe puller heads, one for each mold, two collateral lances, one for each mold, and three motive means as defined in claim 3, one of said motive means carrying one puller head, a second motive means parallel and collateral to the first motive means carrying the second puller head, and the third motive means carrying the two lances, the inner end portion of the guide tubes overlying the pipe molds, the inner end portion of the lance guide tube being disposed between the inner end portions of the two puller guide tubes.

5. A pull and spray station as defined in claim 4, combined with a car carrying the two parallel pipe molds, and rails beneath the car on which wheels of the car ride, said rails extending transversely of the three guide tubes and being located beneath the inner end portions of the three guide tubes.

6. A spray station as defined in claim 2, in which there are guide and support means comprising resiliently separable rollers receiving the forward end of the lance when the lance is retracted, and between which rollers the lance moves when advanced.

7. A pull and spray station as defined in claim 3, in which there are guide and support means comprising resiliently separable rollers receiving the forward end of the lance when the lance is retracted, and between which rollers the lance moves when advanced.

8. A pull station as defined in claim 1, in which the puller head comprises a support arm, an expansion shoe mounted at the end of said support arm, a link collateral to said support arm and connected to said expansion shoe to expand the same, and an actuator connected to said link.

9. A pull and spray station as defined in claim 3, in which the puller head comprises a support arm, an expansion shoe mounted at the end of said support arm, a

link collateral to said support arm and connected to said expansion shoe to expand the same, and an actuator con nected to said link.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 25,587 6/ 1964 Wiltshire 25-30 577,342 2/1897 Bain 92-117 1,499,621 7/1924 Ladd 25-30 1,595,119 8/1926 Paige 164-295 1,754,106 4/1930 Hurst et a1. 164-404 2,108,498 2/ 1938 McLeod 91-196 2,550,925 5/ 1951 Weimar 92-117 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,280,393 11/ 1961 France.

I. SPENCER OVERHOLSER, Primary Examiner.

R. D. BALDWIN, Assistant Examiner. 

